Online fitness platforms grow in popularity among the young

Future of fitness: a man looks at data displayed by a mobile phone app which tracks the time and energy consumed while he exercises in a Beijing gym Credit:
Xinhua

30 October 2018 • 12:00pm

Zheng Yiran

Many people today rely on online products to support their sporty lifestyles – and it gives new meaning to freedom in fitness

Jin Chi, 28, a white collar worker in Beijing, wakes up at 6am every day. Wearing his smartwatch equipped with Codoon, a GPS-supported app that keeps track of his route and time, Jin runs for 40 minutes, a habit he has kept up for three years.

In the evening he uses Keep, another mobile exercise app that instructs him in his personal strength training programme. “I use Keep one hour every day, seven days a week,” Jin said. “I can’t live without the app now.

“After using mobile fitness apps I seldom go to the gym. Using mobile apps to do sports is more flexible. I can enjoy extensive strength training or a yoga course whenever and wherever I want to.”

Many people today are relying on online products to support their sporty lifestyles. A report by the Beijing market research consultancy Analysys showed that by April the number of active users on such online platforms had reached 68.5 million in China.

Online apps in the walking, running and fitness categories grab the most traffic among users, accounting for 34.3 per cent, 34 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. Guangchangwu, or square dancing, cycling and yoga also represent a considerable proportion.

“We have now entered an era in which the number of internet users will not jump dramatically,” said Chen Qiaoshan, a medical analyst with Analysys.

“Traffic in the online sports sector will grow moderately, and businesses will need to compete to win market share.”

The online course costs less than hiring a private trainer in a gymChen Qiaoshan, medical analyst, Analysys

Users in different sports categories have a wide demand for the functionality apps offer, she said. While fitness enthusiasts value how the online apps track their sports data and plan out their training, those who aim to lose weight mainly rely on the apps to serve as a private tutor to guide, encourage and accompany them during training.

Helen Yang, who took part in a 1,699 yuan (£188) online weight reduction course for 45 days, said she liked the flexibility that the online course offered: “The online course costs less than hiring a private trainer in a gym.

“In addition, users who take part in the same course have a virtual space for chatting. We talk about fitness topics often and encourage each other in losing weight. The course has social features.”

Chen said: “For online fitness, users are more active during summer than they are in winter.”

The Analysys report found that last year, the average daily usetime was about 30 minutes. In July 2017 the average usetime was 77 minutes. The peak times are usually the morning and evening.

The report said mobile apps related to fitness and running attract higher-earning users, and walking and square dancing apps are more popular in second- and third-tier cities. The National Development and Reform Commission said that the country’s sports industry had continued to grow rapidly this year, becoming a new driver for economic development.

The added value of the sports industry is estimated to account for more than 1 per cent of the country’s GDP this year, with related consumption reaching 1 trillion yuan (£112.7bn), said Ou Xiaoli, director of the commission’s social development department.

The number of sports institutions set up will grow 20 per cent this year, and the industry is expected to employ 4.4 million people this year, Ou said.

In 2016 the General Administration of Sport set a target for the added value of the country’s sports industry to surpass 3 trillion yuan by 2020, and for it to employ more than 6 million people.

The industry’s added value should account for more than 1 per cent of the country’s GDP, and that of the sports-related service industry should account for 30 per cent of GDP.

This article was originally produced and published by China Daily. View the original article at www.chinadaily.com.cn